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Disabled Facilities Grant for Sound proofing

NAS94466

Has anyone had any luck gaining a Disabled Facilities Grant as an autistic person?

I have registered with my local health group for the grant and have spoken with a person for an initial outline of what I need the grant for.

I intend to request a grant to soundproof my bedroom due to my noise sensitivity. The bedroom backs onto a park, and I have had many issues with noise disturbances over the years, from foxes barking to antisocial noise, which have greatly impacted my quality of sleep.

I was told that I would be referred to an OT for assessment and that the council would need substantial evidence of why soundproofing is needed.

I hope that others can share their news and successes/failures and also if they were able to gain evidence.

Kind regards,

Jason

  • I'm at the application stage for housing.  One housing association have said they can sound proof a house before I move in if one comes up next year I'm matched o.  In one other area I'm applying the local council told me they have helped people with sound proofing before via the facilities grant so there is precedent for this being done.

  • Hello,

    I went through the assement process with my local council who then decided to let me know that soundproofing was not something they offered. My housing association then stepped in and a contractor came to apply soundproofing and move the electrics, skirting board and re-plaster the room. It has made such a difference to the sound levels and I sleep much better now. It has cost me a little space but worth it for more peace.    

  • in reply to Woshambo
    Woshambo said:
    I'd like to protect my neighbours from the noise my son makes

    the cheap and cheerful way is to give him a room he can be noisy in but sound proof it.

    If you have neighbours above and/or below then use foam padding on the floors / ceilings. For the walls you can use egg cartons (the big square trays) and foam.

    Essentially hard surfaces allow the sound waves to travel through the walls / floors / ceilings so by using something with lots of air pockets then the sound waves get disrupted and don't get out.

    Windows can be the weak point but possibly creating a wood and foam panel that sits over the window would work.

  • in reply to Iain

    I was hoping to get sound proofing for the opposite issue. I'd like to protect my neighbours from the noise my son makes

  • Hello Jason, have you tried earplugs as an interrim measure? It is likely to be a long, slow and troublesome process to get your request considered so this may offer some respite.

    To get the grant the evidence you will need will come from your therapist and/or GP - they need to confirm that your sensitivity to the noise is serious enough to merit the change. This will requite a formal autism diagnosis if you don't already have one.

    You may also need to have a sound measuring device to see if the noise levels are high enough to justify as noise pollution. I think 85 decibels is the threshold over which it is considered noisy enough to be serious if it is for a sustained period.

    If this can be established (seems a little unlikely from your description of the occassional sounds) then I would speak to the council and ask how they can gather proof. It may involve installing a recording device in the room for a few days to measure abient noise.

    Possible soltions would be a mix of triple glazing (quite expensive), secondary double glazing (cheaper) or acoustic insulation on the walls (quite expensive as it involves a lot of work to move cornicing, skirting, heating, electrical points etc plus redecorating).